Sony has announced that its Rialto 65 Camera Extension System for the Venice 2 CineAlta camera will launch in the first half of 2027 for a cool $80,000, about the same price as a brand-new, luxurious BMW M3 or, to keep things camera-related, over 16 Sony FX5 bodies.

Sony’s sales pitch is that the Rialto 65 Camera Extension System (CBK-6510XS) and its giant image sensor promise exceptional video quality unlike anything else Sony has made before. That may very well be true — the sensor is remarkably big. The 65mm-format sensor measures 53.75 millimeters wide and 35.83 millimeters high, creating an image area about 2.2 times larger than a full-frame sensor.

The large-format image sensor supports 9.6K 1.5:1 Open Gate readout. It also offers a 9.6K 2.20:1 readout mode with a diagonal of about 59 millimeters, which Sony says accommodates a wide range of lenses.

The camera has dual base ISO settings at 2500 and 10000.…